No question Windoggie that most of the wars we've fought since WW2 have been foolish and arrogant. We shouldn't forget that Obama could have wound this down 4 years ago, and that more men have died under him in 4 years than Bush in 8.

Secondly, the destruction of America's treasure in both human tragedy and gold is monumental. I like being the badass with a big stick, however, I don't like sending other peoples children into madness. Here we go again with Iran, N Korea, or some other tinpot dictatorship. Someday, we will have cried wolf one too many times. It actually might be important some day.

My philosophy is, if we can't win a war in less than a year, with a full surrender of everyone on the opposing side, we should never fight again.

Secondly, the destruction of America's treasure in both human tragedy and gold is monumental. I like being the badass with a big stick, however, I don't like sending other peoples children into madness. Here we go again with Iran, N Korea, or some other tinpot dictatorship. Someday, we will have cried wolf one too many times. It actually might be important some day.

Spot on! I do not have children. But, I do have a sister in the military. I have thought, long and hard, about the value of these wars vs the life of my sister. The math just does not add up! Fortunately, I have not had to pay this price, as so many families have.

Whether we agree, or not, with these wars, we owe a serious debt to these folks.

I knew when I was 16 that if I were drafted, there was no way I was going to Vietnam. Fortunately it ended soon thereafter. Now my son is 16 and says he'd like to join the military. How in the world can I express my decades of mistrust for authority to such a young stud? Very carefully, lest he gets his back up in a tizzy.

And, Steve, the finest and most dedicated group of people I've ever known have been my military peers. Sure, there are some jerks there, but that's life. I went in because of the draft, planning on staying in the required 4 years and bailing. I stayed largely because of what those factors and serving the country began to mean to me. Seeing dedicated family men not just volunteer, but demand, to change their jobs from cushy stateside R&D to dangerous hot or cold war overseas assignments makes civilian careers seem like boring, meaningless, mindless, drudgery by comparison. It's much like the police's "Protect and Serve" mantra on steroids.

I was watching the PBS News Hour this evening, and as they do on occasion, in silence they identified and pictured 12 more US Soldiers that have recently died in our wars in the Middle East. A sobering moment to think about those soldiers that have died in war abroad. Speaking for myself, I'll be a lot happier when the war in Afghanistan is behind us. And, needless to say, I hope to hell that those that cavalierly promote American Exceptionalism around the world are kept at bay and muzzled.

Iso, the people who fight for our country are the finest. It's the schmucks who think someone else's child is worthy of dying for their ideology or greed. When 911 happened, I thought Bush would use that as an excuse to tighten our borders and get a handle on who was here. Oh no, the schmuck listened to Cheyney and the goon squad who were jumping up and down for war.

Still shocked at how stupid they were....and how brave and starry eyed those young dead were. They cared about us, and didn't think they could be betrayed.

You apparently think yours is the only valid assessment of and solution to the terrorist threat. Millions of people, including thousands of very bright professionals and statesmen on the international scene, do not agree. I sure don't hear much of the media criticizing Obama's basic approach, which is derived straight from Rumsfeld's principles of smaller, more elite, more direct, more focused, strikes taking advantage of technology more than brute force. That "shock and awe" talk was a red herring, but our drone and cyberwarfare weaponry were still behind the power curve.

What Bush DID have ... an active, effective, worldwide ELINT surveillance program ... was leaked and nullified by the GDNYT, which IMO should have been silenced "by whatever means were necessary", as a four-star general said to "Frontline" about embedded reporters broadcasting battle plans. I'd bet the the GDNYT and the anti-eavesdropping crybabies set the war on terrorists, especially bin Laden, back by years. And, of course, Bush's attempts to "get a handle on who's here" by eavesdropping on terrorists within our borders was largely and loudly squelched by the Left, who apparently considers my right to yell FIRE! more important than national security. Do you think Bush's electronic eavesdropping systems gave a rat's ass about your phone calls or mine?

This PRetend Commander in Chief (aka PRIC) we have now doesn't need the GDNYT to be a traitor to his charges; his open and eager re-election-driven boasting about the doctor and the SEALS who killed bin Laden got them captured and killed, respectively. I can't wipe the taste of that man out of my mind or mouth often enough.

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